Los Angeles Dodgers utility player Hyeseong Kim, who did not make the Opening Day roster after losing out to Alex Freeland, had a great night on Saturday in Triple-A.
Kim can play in the outfield and at infield positions, possesses elite speed, and has shown a quality hit tool — three traits that have the organization quite high on the Korean.
He started off hot in Spring Training, but went ice cold in the World Baseball Classic, with his swing mechanics looking “out of sync,” according to manager Dave Roberts.
In the end, the Dodgers went with Freeland, who had worse Spring Training production, pushing Kim down to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
The Dodgers were quite vindicated on Friday, with Alex Freeland going 2-for-3 with a home run and a double, becoming the game-winning run.
However, Kim has responded with his own hitting showcase, going 5-for-5 at the plate.
The lefty went 2-for-2 against southpaws, including his sole extra-base hit, which was a double.
He came home four times on a run and drove in an RBI.
Why is Hyeseong Kim in Triple-A?
According to Dave Roberts, it was a tough decision to leave Kim out of the majors, but he emphasized that it was more about what Freeland did than what Kim did not.
“It was probably the toughest decision of the spring,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on his decision to got with Freeland over Kim. “There’s no doubt that Hyeseong at some point is going to come help us out.
“I think the driver as far as the outset, is giving Hyeseong the opportunity to play every day, play all over the diamond; he’s going to play some short, some center, some second base there. Whereas here, he wouldn’t have the runway to play more frequently.
“I think with Alex, what he’s done in Triple-A already, he’s played well there and there’s really nothing left for him to prove there. So I think for us to give him a little bit of runway to see what we have in him, give him an opportunity to play here for us against right-handed pitching and just kind of see where it goes.
“But again, it’s really not an indictment on Hyeseong at all. Like I said, we think the world of him as a player, as a teammate, and expect him to help us at some point.”
With Kim impressing, Roberts and the Dodgers may end up adding him to the roster sooner rather than later.
